


Berry Delight

by Rina (rinadoll)



Category: Blue Castle - L. M. Montgomery
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Picking Berries, Picnics, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:20:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25293826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinadoll/pseuds/Rina
Summary: “All that rain, the new next season of berries should be out in force,” Barney said, as they tidied up the dishes companionably. “Shall we hunt them out today?”“I’ll pack lunch,” Valancy said happily.
Relationships: Barney Snaith/Valancy Stirling
Comments: 15
Kudos: 19
Collections: Eat Drink and Make Merry 2020





	Berry Delight

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Karios](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karios/gifts).



> Set the summer they married.

It was a stormy July night, the very air alive and electric. Valancy was curled up on the chair she’d pulled over to the oriel window, Good Luck draped around her, and a comforting cup of tea cradled in her hands. She took a sip of her favorite mint tea as she gazed out into the pines. They lit up bright as day every few seconds, the thunder and rain and grandfather clock behind her finding a rhythm and beat. 

“Valancy?” Barney's voice was rough with sleep. “Any pains?”

“Not tonight,” Valancy said, flashing him a smile as the lightning flashed behind her. “Just appreciating the beauty of the storm.” 

Barney came up behind the chair, resting his hands on her shoulders and pressing his cheek to hers briefly. “Enjoy your show then, Moonlight,” he said.

“It’s nearly over,” she said, grateful for his understanding, and thrilling at his touch. 

It wasn’t a quarter of an hour until the storm had passed, leaving only rain in its wake. Valancy finished her tea, then quietly navigated the room and slid into bed next to Barney. His breaths were even, but not quite with the depth of sleep.

“Sweet dreams,” she whispered, and he mumbled back. With the rain as lullaby, they both fell asleep.

***

Valancy slowly drifted to wakefulness, the scent of Barney’s bacon and eggs wafting into their room and making her smile. She rolled towards the window, stretching her body before starting to blink her eyes open. 

It was a bright and sunshiny morning, a beautiful contrast to the early morning hours. She slipped on her dressing gown and padded out to the main room. Barney wished her a good morning and dished up some breakfast for them to share. 

Barney had long ago perfected the art of bacon, and it nearly melted in her mouth. She could never quite get hers to match, no matter how many times she tried. At least she could say her eggs were better, creamier and more flavorful. She tapped some pepper on hers as Barney laughed at her. 

“All that rain, the new next season of berries should be out in force,” Barney said, as they tidied up the dishes companionably. “Shall we hunt them out today?” 

“I’ll pack lunch,” Valancy said happily. 

She’d become an expert in picnic packing by now, she felt. Sometimes she went off on her own while Barney was in his Bluebeard's Chamber, but more often they walked out together. 

Barney had some work he couldn’t put off, so she returned to their bedroom to get dressed and read outside until she judged it was time to get ready.

She hummed as she pulled down the wooden plates Barney had made, and loaded them and their paper covers into their slots in the hamper. 

Barney always enjoyed cold beef, so she took that out along with tomato, cucumber, cocoanut, dressing, butter, and eggs. She sliced the Boston brown bread not too thinly, and began to build the sandwiches. 

The cocoanut mixture, heating the eggs, butter, sugar, and cocoanut, was more time consuming than the others, but neither of them could resist the delicious result. 

Sandwiches made and wrapped and packed, she considered more sweets. There was a bit of unfrosted cake left. And small jam tarts would most likely take up the time until Barney finished some work in his Chamber, and they could use the fruit they picked to top them.

She wondered what fruit it would be, as she mixed the dough. Strawberries were already past their glorious peak. Perhaps blueberries. 

While the shells baked, she started mixing the ginger water and packing up some tea leaves. There was no guarantee that they’d land near a river, but better be ready, just in case.

Valancy selected a red currant jam from her pantry and filled a stoppered bottle with some cream to go with the fruit and the tarts. She packed them up with salt, pepper, and vinegar, and then the tart shells were just about ready.

While they cooled, she pulled out lettuce for a chilled salad, and heard Barney moving around. This generally meant he was finishing up, and she moved quickly to wash, spin and pack everything neatly. 

She was stacking up the tart shells when he joined her in the kitchen, looking approvingly at her work. 

“Ready, Moonlight?” he asked carelessly, closing and locking the hamper once the shells were placed.

“Nearly,” she answered. When she returned from fetching her hat, Barney had shouldered the hamper and was waiting just outside for her. He was a handsome sight, and her heart quickened—but in a pleasant way.

The forest stretched in front of them, golden sunlight filtering through the boughs and branches. It turned their familiar haunt into an otherworldly looking fairy land, half light and half shadow. She almost wondered where they would end up when they entered, and laughed at the thought. Barney smiled at her as they set off.

Barney knew exactly where he wanted to take her, and after a few divergences, it became a path she didn’t recognize exploring before. After a half hour of companionable quiet, they entered a small clearing, and she could hear water in the distance. The tree cover meant that the area was mostly shadowed and kept nice and cool. A perfect place to spend time on a summer afternoon.

Barney set the hamper down. “Look over here,” he said and beckoned her to follow. 

They pushed through some overgrowth and came upon bushes and bushes of blueish-red berries.

“Recognize these beauties?” Barney asked.

Valancy pulled a berry off the shrub and popped it in her mouth. “Saskatoons!” she exclaimed. She loved the earthy, nutty taste, so different from the other berries. They didn’t often show up in town, at least in her uncle’s store.

“The rain was just what they needed to ripen,” Barney said triumphantly, swallowing down a few himself. 

They collected handfuls, balancing them in hands and arms with laughter, and brought them back to the hamper. 

Barney spread out their blanket and took the spirit lamp, kettle, and tea leaves to the river. Valancy began unpacking their lunch, piling Barney’s favorites on his plate to start. 

She noticed some wild nasturtiums growing and pulled a few to add to her sandwiches. The tang would add good flavor to the tomatoes, especially. 

Barney dug in with great enthusiasm upon his return, barely pausing to swallow the tea she’d poured for him. She watched, gratified, and munched happily on her own meal. Nothing beat a good cocoanut sandwich, and they playfully battled for the last one. 

Conversation flowed easily, and Barney even condescended to listen to a passage from her favorite John Foster book. He told her about the first time he’d stumbled on this clearing and its hidden cache of berries, and the mess he’d made of them in his kitchen.

“I’ll bake a pie with them this afternoon,” she promised, even though he had surely had better experiences with them by now. She took a spoon of cream and dropped a few Saskatoons into it, trying to keep them balanced until she had it in her mouth. The almond and sweet cream flavors blended so perfectly, and she resolved to use some in the pie. Or maybe they’d make some ice cream to go with.

The tarts and cake were a satisfying end to the meal, and they stretched it out as lazily as they could. The sun sliding back down the sky when they finally packed up and started for home.

Valancy admired the cattails protecting their marshland, and hooted with delight when Barney’s face screwed up and he asked if that was a Foster line. Mistaking a Valancy Snaith original for a John Foster!

When they got home, Barney set some berries aside to further mature and washed the rest while Valancy mixed up a pie crust. 

She smiled affectionately as he snatched a few of the berries back and popped them into his mouth. 

“I promised you a pie, but the next batch we pick, we’ll freeze into flavor bars,” she said. “We’ll be able to slice and scrape it into stews all this winter, and you’ll have some for next, too.”

The understanding that she wouldn’t be there that second winter hung in the air. After a moment, Barney stepped closer, his front to her back, and laid his cheek against hers as she mixed.

Her heart stuttered again—twice in two days! And in the daylight! So much of their intimacy came in the darkness of their bedroom at night.

“You’re a real peach, do you know that?” he asked, squeezing her shoulders. “We’ve shuffled along nicely this summer.” He cleared his throat. “Yes, let’s do that. For winter.”

He disappeared to the porch, Good Luck following him with one glance back at Valancy.

She had to set her wooden spoon down in her delight and surprise. She’d hoped that her presence in his life was at least somewhat a positive one, that he perhaps felt more than pity for her, and this was more than she’d ever dared to dream. 

She set to mixing and rolling with renewed energy. The dear man would get the best pie she was able to bake.


End file.
